Why Do We Care So Much about 9/11?

[_Some Schmo]

It seems to me the 3300+ lives or so we lost on 9/11 should be forgotten. Why care about them? What was the big deal?

I'm only asking because this country doesn't seem to give a fu-Celestial Kingdom about 220,000 lives we've lost to COVID so far...

Wait, did I say "country?" I should be more specific. I meant the right wing fu-Celestial Kingdom nuts destroying this country.

[_Chap]

It seems to me the 3300+ lives or so we lost on 9/11 should be forgotten. Why care about them? What was the big deal?

I'm only asking because this country doesn't seem to give a fu-Celestial Kingdom about 220,000 lives we've lost to COVID so far...

220,000 ÷ 3300 = 67, to the nearest whole number.

Yup, the virus has killed 67 times the number of people killed by the 9/11 terrorists. To deal with 9/11, the US sent troops into Afghanistan, and invaded Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein, ignoring Saddam's known opposition to Islamism in general and Al Qaeda in particular.

Uncounted billions of dollars were spent, and continue to be spent. Thousands of US and allied troops were killed, and many, many more civilians. But the virus, that killed many times more people? Naaah, it's really no big deal, and Americans mustn't let it dominate their lives.

Why the difference? Could it be that the things you have to do to combat a virus effectively don't lead to Americans flocking to 'rally round our leaders in these dangerous times'? No tough guys in uniforms with flags? No cool fighter planes swooshing overhead, no proxy boosts to the masculinity of the otherwise insignificant and weak as they gaze upon 'our' awesome military power and wondrous weapons systems?

Could be. Wars boost testosterone levels. Wearing masks and washing your hands? That's for sissies.

[_Some Schmo]

Could be. Wars boost testosterone levels. Wearing masks and washing your hands? That's for sissies.

That's a solid thought, and it leads me to think that maybe all the bravado we hear about supporting the military from guys wanting to sound like patriots are really just the song and dance of assholes riding the coattails of real men; heaven forbid they ever had to fight a war.

I mean, if you're whining about wearing a mask, just how much of a fu-cking baby are you?

[_Res Ipsa]

One of the things South Korea did right from the beginning was unite the country in a war against the virus. They made it patriotic to wear a mask, wash your hands, get tested, follow isolation and quarantine rules.

[_ajax18]

I'm all for wearing masks and washing your hands. Shutting down businesses and causing a prolonged 45% unemployment rate, not so much. Nor can I think of any war that caused a 45% unemployment rate.

[_Some Schmo]

I'm all for wearing masks and washing your hands. Shutting down businesses and causing a prolonged 45% unemployment rate, not so much. Nor can I think of any war that caused a 45% unemployment rate.

Can you imagine if ajax had real facts and numbers? He'd be hard to argue, I tells ya.

[_Themis]

Nor can I think of any war that caused a 45% unemployment rate.

Nor can I think of a pandemic that caused a 45% unemployment rate. If you want to be taken seriously, maybe get some real facts.

[_MeDotOrg]

If your spouse dies of cancer, that's one thing. If your spouse is murdered, that's another. Tens of thousands of Americans have died in auto accidents or gun violence, but those events are spread out over time. On September 11th, thousands of people were murdered at the same time. Americans saw it happen on Television, as the Twin Towers collapsed. That got burned into our collective consciousness.

It was also an attack against the United States on our own soil. We still remember Pearl Harbor.

In asking why we care about 9/11, I think you are asking why it drives our foreign policy, or why other events that have caused more deaths get less attention. That's slightly different than the event itself. But for me, 9/11 was a shared national tragedy.

[_Some Schmo]

In asking why we care about 9/11, I think you are asking why it drives our foreign policy, or why other events that have caused more deaths get less attention. That's slightly different than the event itself. But for me, 9/11 was a shared national tragedy.

There's no doubt. That was one of the scariest days of my life. Another would be the day after Trump was elected.

This thread isn't really about wondering why we care about 9/11. It's about why so many people don't care about the death toll of COVID that is 67 times bigger. Sure, 9/11 was in our faces and visceral, and I think we should all have sat up and paid attention that day. My real question is why the hell so many Americans aren't sitting up now.

I'm forced to conclude that many Americans aren't really all that concerned with their fellow Americans' lives, and just enjoy a good excuse to go kick some brown people's asses.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

I think you started a thread that actually answers your question.

- Doc